Match.com Reveals What to Wear for Your Summer of Love

July 6, 2011

With summer officially in full swing, we polled our Match.com members to find out this year’s summer dating essentials to help heat up their love lives – from tips on picking the perfect place for a summer date to fashion do’s or don’ts.

We have found that 49% of people have turned a summer fling into a long-term relationship. We also found the location of the dates officially change with the seasons: during the summer months, singles trade out the coffee date for a date on the patio. But a small minority of singles, roughly 1%, still prefers getting to know someone over a cup of hot coffee in the summer.

Here are some other findings:

STYLE FOR THE LADIES

Lighten Up – 81% of men like women to wear white pants on a date. Not surprisingly, 92% of men also like short skirts.

The Skin-ny – Some men say midriff-baring shirts should stay in the closet! 12% of men said it’s never cool to wear a cropped top on a date.

Show Some Plait-itude – Braided hair is in! 63% of men like braids in their date’s hair.

Shoo Fly – Maybe it’s time to keep the bug-eyes at home? 56% of men really don’t care for the popular big sunglasses look.

Don’t Be Cheeky! 53% of men said it’s not acceptable for a woman to wear a thong swimsuit for a beach or pool date.

Yellow Polka dot Bikini! 34% of women said they’d be willing show off their swimsuit in front of a date this summer… after 1 -3 dates. And guys are much more willing to show off in a swimsuit on a first date (23%).

Take Comfort – Women report that they feel most comfortable in heels (57%) on a summer date, and they are actually more comfortable in a swimsuit than in short shorts on a beach date.

STYLE FOR THE GENTS

Loosen Up – 68% of women say it’s never appropriate for her date to show up wearing skinny jeans.

The Situation – 80% of women say a guy should never walk around shirtless, even if he does have rock-solid abs.

Put a Little “Prep” in Your Step – 93% of women prefer a date to wear a polo shirt and khakis on a date this summer, followed by the less stifling version: a polo shirt paired with shorts (87%).

Made In the Shade – 84% of women said visors are a turn-off! They prefer men to accessorize with aviator-style sunglasses instead (75%).

Call it a Spee-No: 91% of women said their dates best leave their speedos at home for their pool date!

Do you agree with these findings? How will you rock your summer style this season? Tell us in the comments below.